When Nick Foligno’s second-period, between-the-legs goal was replayed on the huge scoreboard — its full glory was hard for many to fully appreciate at live speed — a gasp emanated from the seats of half-filled Nationwide Arena.

During the Blue Jackets’ 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning last night, that noise was exceeded only by the worried, group inhale early in the third period when goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky lay face-first on the ice, injured. Bobrovsky put no weight on his left leg as he made it off the ice at 4:13 of the third with the help of two teammates.

The Blue Jackets would not reveal what he injured, saying only that he would have an MRI today.

“Obviously, it was a leg injury, and when he comes out like that you’re a bit unsure,” coach Todd Richards said. “I don’t know if we’ll have an answer today, but within the next few days we’ll have a better idea.”

Bobrovsky had 18 saves. He was replaced by Curtis McElhinney, who stopped all eight shots he faced in the final 15:47. It will count as a team shutout, not credited to either player.

“It’s a tough situation to come into,” McElhinney said. “And it comes with a lot of responsibility. First and foremost, you want the win. We need the points so badly. But on a personal level, you also want to finish what the other guy started. I wanted to pick Bob up right there.”

Bobrovsky had denied Tampa Bay’s J.T. Brown on a breakaway with a glove save at 4:13 of the third period, and there was no contact on the play. But Bobrovsky toppled forward in the process of making the save, and his momentum carried him slowly backward toward the net. His left skate pressed gently against the post behind him, causing his knee to bend as he came to a rest.

“It’s not something you want to see,” defenseman Jack Johnson said. “But you learn pretty quickly in this game that you have to take a deep breath and keep playing. I thought we responded the right way.”

The mood in the postgame dressing room suggested that the Blue Jackets weren’t too concerned about Bobrovsky being out an extended period. Several players, including McElhinney, said they spoke with Bobrovsky afterward, but not about the injury.

“He’ll bounce back,” Foligno said. “It’s Bob. He’s Gumby.”Foligno’s goal, at 4:30 of the second period, certainly helped the mood. A turnover by Tampa Bay’s Valtteri Filppula led to a strong push by the Blue Jackets, with Ryan Johansen passing the puck to Foligno, who was alone in the slot. Foligno skated from left to right across goaltender Ben Bishop, then pulled the puck back between his legs and lifted it over Bishop’s extended right pad.

“Our forwards were going after pucks in the second period,” Richards said. “There was constant pressure. We were able to turn pucks over, and the momentum started to build after that because it was shift after shift. It wasn’t one line; it was all four lines.”

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